The Milano-Sanremo is raced on the classic route which has connected Milan to the Riviera di Ponente over the last 105 years, via Pavia, Ovada, Passo del Turchino, and then descending towards Genoa Voltri.

From here, the route strikers west, passing through Varazze, Savona, Albenga, Imperia and San Lorenzo al Mare where, after the classic sequence of the “Capi” (Capo Mele, Capo Cervo and Capo Berta), the peloton negotiates two climbs which have entered the race route in recent decades: the Cipressa (1982) and Poggio di Sanremo (1961).

The Cipressa is just over 5,6 km long with a gradient of 4,1%. The descent leading back down to SS 1 Aurelia road is highly technical descent leading.

LAST KM

The ascent of Poggio di Sanremo starts 9 km before the finish line. The climb is as follows: 3,7 km, average gradient less than 4%, maximum 8% in the segment before getting to the top of the climb. The road is slightly narrower, with four hairpin turns in the first 2 km.

The descent is extremely technical, on asphalt roads, narrow at points and with a succession of hairpins, twist and turns as far as the junctions with SS 1 Aurelia.

The final part of the descent enters urban Sanremo. The last 2 km are on long, straight urban roads. 850m from the finish line there is a left-hand bend on a roundabout. The last bend, leading into the home straight, is 750m from the finish line.

START

Despite its worldwide renown as the economic capital of Italy, there is more to Milan than just the Piazza Affari stock exchange, technology or industry.

Recognised as one of the European leaders in fashion and design, the city is also a major “exhibition centre”. In 2015, it was the venue of one of the most important global events, EXPO, which hosted the official presentation of the 2016 Giro d’Italia, among other things.

Milan is also rich in art, and there is much to explore in the city of the “Madonnina”, which boasts a long tradition in literature, art, music and science. The city’s large museum network includes Museo della Pietà Rondanini, MUDEC, Cenacolo Vinciano, Pinacoteca di Brera, Museo Nazionale della Scienza e Tecnologia “Leonardo Da Vinci”, Museo del Novecento, Villa Reale, Triennale Design Museum and Museo San Siro. One may even claim that Milan was Leonardo’s city: The Last Supper, the Atlantic Codex, the Naviglio Grande gates, as well as frescoes, paintings and plenty of drawings and designs are just a little sample of the heritage that Leonardo – an architect, engineer, inventor, scientist and artist – left behind during the 20 years he spent in the city. The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie holds one of the most famous religious artworks of the Renaissance, “The Last Supper”, a mural that Leonardo da Vinci painted between 1495 and 1497, as commissioned by Ludovico Il Moro, Duke of Milan.

It is no coincidence that the city was nominated to host the 24th ICOM (International Council of Museums, created in 1946) Conference in 2016, which will take place from July 3 to July 9, after Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2013, and Shanghai, China, in 2010.

The city will also be hosting plenty of sporting events this year, including the start of the Milano-Sanremo cycling “Classicissima”, and the 2016 UEFA Champions League final at Milan’s Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 28.

FINISH

Sanremo is known as the city of flowers and the city of Italian song. Every year, Teatro Ariston hosts the famous Festival di Sanremo, currently celebrating its sixty-sixth edition. Speaking of sports, the city is renowned as finish location of the opening race of the cycling season, Milano-Sanremo.

Automobile racing is the second, great sporting tradition of the city. Two major events will take place here in 2016: the legendary Rallye Sanremo, celebrating its 31st edition this year, and the second Sanremo Rally Team that will run from May 22 to May 26. The latter will be a unique event in the motorsports industry, gathering all the automobile manufacturers that marked the history of the city’s Rally competition. It will run along the roads of the famous “Ronde”, and will be open to all vintage and modern rally cars by all automakers that competed in the World Rally up to 2003. Corso Fiorito (Sanremoinfiore) is another globally famous event taking place in Sanremo: a traditional parade of flower-covered floats welcoming spring with the scent and colours of blossoms that have earned the “Riviera dei Fiori” its worldwide renown. The event will take place on Sunday, March 13. “Once upon a time… The magic world of fairy tales” will be the 2016 parade theme: each participating town will be assigned one fairy tale it shall draw inspiration from to create its float.

Sanremo also owns its renown to its position, to its microclimate and to the beauty of its landscape. All this adds up to a glorious past, which left its lasting mark in the old town centre (nicknamed La Pigna, “the pine cone” for the “winding” shape of the walls). Main sights include the Basilica Collegiata Cattedrale di San Siro, the Sanctuary of Madonna della Costa, the hermitage of San Michele and the Church of Cristo Salvatore, built at the end of the 19th century by the Russian nobility, nowadays one of the symbols of the town, together with the Casino, nearby. Many private mansions built along the promenade shine as jewels of architecture: Palazzo Bellevue (which has been a luxury hotel for many years, and became the city hall in 1963), Palazzo Borea d’Olmo (a few metres away from Teatro Ariston, one of the major Baroque buildings of western Liguria), Villa Ormond (renowned for its park, with many exotic plants), Villa Nobel (built in Moorish style, the last place where Alfred Nobel lived, currently a venue for cultural meetings), Villa King, nearby (Art Deco), and Castello Devachan.

Just mention Milano-Sanremo and immediately your mind goes to “Grande Ciclismo” taking action. Reminding the “Primavera” (as foreigners use to call it) brings back the first important rendezvous. The competition seasons have become longer and longer, growing out of all proportion. They begin in January in Australia for closing in October in China, but the pilasters which support the whole movement are still the same, i.e. the Grandi Giri and the Classiche Monumento, (Monumental Classics), and to begin with, the Sanremo…The “Classicissima” will always be considered as one of the most charismatic race of the cycling year. And it actually is, because its characteristics are, technically speaking, unique.

No other race can compete with a 300 kilometers long bicycle ride. And moreover it is open to everybody’s dreams. The true sprinters such as Cavendish, Greipel and Petacchi can plan a victory, but the introduction of the “Manie” has made the sprinters’ dreams more arduous and lent wings on the heels of strikers: sprinters of course but also climbers…

Milan-Sanremo started in 1907 and more than 100 editions later the race is no doubt still a cycling icon. An icon that was able to shake the dust off its clothes offering an ever fresh and up-to-date look. And this is the reference we wish to cling to in a fervent ride into the future

Sound not working here but cool images

Milano Sanremo: finish line moves back to via Roma

Milano, 28 novembre 2014

Milan, November 28, 2014 – The Milano San Remo goes back to its traditions to set up a spectacular finale on the classic Via Roma finish line, which has played a key role in the history of this monument race. Also known as the “Primavera”, the Milano San Remo is organised by RCS Sport/La Gazzetta dello Sport and will be held on March 22. It will run a very similar course as the 2014 edition – with the key points on Passo del Turchino, Capo Mele, Capo Cervo, Capo Berta, Cipressa and Poggio di Sanremo – but has a substantial change for the finale. Compared to the Piazzale Calvino finish, which had 3 kilometres from the Poggio descent to the finish line and has been used for the last few editions, the Via Roma finish line will shortens this distance to “only” 2km. This change will make the race even more open and unpredictable – until the final moments – with the attackers having more chances to anticipate the fast wheels of the peloton. The total distance will therefore go from 294km to 293km from 2015. COURSE NOTES The last winner on the Via Roma was the Spanish rider Oscar Freire, in 2007. Eddy Merckx is the record holder, with 7 victories in this “Classicissima di Primavera”, winning the race in 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1975 and 1976, with each of these on the Via Roma finish line – showing how the finale of this race can be open to many solutions. HISTORY OF SAN REMO FINISH LINE • from 1907 to 1948 finish in Corso Cavallotti • from 1949 to 1985 finish in Via Roma • from 1986 to 1993 finish in Corso Cavallotti • from 1994 to 2007 finish in Via Roma • from 2008 to 2014 finish in Piazzale Italo Calvino

Funnily enough I also agree no Sagan but if him and GVA get together and decide to go for it as a " team " on the poggio and descend and work together they might get their best results, wait and 4th -8th places more likely

“In the Tour of Flanders they are also crashing every year, aren’t they?”

The 24th, 25th and 142nd of the 2016 Milan-Sanremo are not competing this year. Sep Vanmarcke, Lars Boom and Zdenek Stybar are leaving the Primavera for what it is. “The risk of a crash is way higher than a nice result”. Dwars door [should read “door België”, please] Vlaanderen capitalises on the dangerous image of Milan-Sanremo and gets an attractive field.

Last Monday [in Tirreno, that is] Tom Boonen finished 126th along with his lieutenant Julien Vermote: 127th. The final 10km were dangerous. They let it go and sweated 5’ behind their teammate Gaviria. Greg Van Avermaet also came against his nature only 62nd on the line. In Tirreno taking risks in order to possibly compromise your spring is a no-go.

Yet the trio races Milan-Sanremo next Saturday. Sep Vanmarcke, Zdenek Stybar, Lars Boom and Niki Terpstra let it go. Their reason is the same as Boonen and Van Avermaet last Monday.

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You can see at the condition of the soil that the Italian economy is declining. The chance is 50% that you get floored in Milan-Sanremo. I don’t want to take that risk.

Stybar seconds Vanmarcke:

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I’ve already done it 4 times. The first two times, the weather was very bad. The last two times I crashed heavily. Last year I broke a rib because of a crossing dog. I have no good memories from it.

The period when every classic rider badly needed to have the 290km of Milan-Sanremo in the legs eyeing on the spring seems bygone. Certainly with the classic riders without a sprint.

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The chance is small that I could ever win this race. I’m not enough of a climber to attack on the Poggio and in the sprint there will always be faster men. At best I can be about 9th. I don’t want to take risks for that. I’ll take risks for the Flemish races in which I can always have a shot at the win.

Vanmarcke, Terpstra, Boom and Stybar are coming next Wednesday at the start of Dwars door Vlaanderen [“door België” for Christ’s sake]. The race belongs to the World Tour and ripes the benefits of it. For Vanmarcke, it’s the first participation since 2012. Stybar makes his debut in it.

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Sanremo is a great race but I cannot get any results there. Our team always takes a sprinter with great chances. In the past it was Cavendish. Now it’s Gaviria. Even if I have the legs to attack on the Poggio I would not do it because of team tactics. In Waregem I can work out something.

Jasper Stuyven and John Degenkolb do race Milan-Sanremo for Trek Segafredo. They do have a strong sprint. Dirk Demol says:

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Milan-Sanremo or not is a choice by the rider himself. Devolder did only once and said afterwards: Never again. For Cancellara considering not to start the Primavera was not done[1]

Greg Van Avermaet has not hesitated a second about starting Milan-Sanremo either.

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With all due respect to Dwars door Vlaanderen, it does not compare to Milan-Sanremo. You don’t let a monument aside like that. Not starting Milan-Sanremo would hurt my heart.

The risks that he did not wish to take in Tirreno, the Olympic Champion considers taking them in the descent of the Capi.

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It’s true that they are crashing there every year. But so do they every year in the Tour of Flanders. Myself included last year.

Tiesj Benoot who combines Sanremo and Waregem seconds him

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This week I crashed in Tirreno. So did Boonen. In which race don’t you nowadays?

Benoot makes his debut next Saturday in Milan Sanremo. Van Avermaet starts for the 10th time.

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Last year I was 5th. There’s only one way to win this lottery: keep on trying.

He did show comprehension for Vanmarcke’s choice.

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I’m more of a sprinter than Sep is and I have better chance of success, even if it be but 1%. I’m of the opinion that if you have a chance to win, you also should start. In Rio I also had but 1% chance at the start.

Post Merge: March 18, 2017, 10:35Also according to the same Nieuwsblad edition, the 8 Lotto riders for the Primavera - Tim Wellens, Tiesj Benoot, Lars Bak, Tony Gallopin, Marcel Sieberg, Tomasz Marczynski, Jens Debusschere and the great Jürgen Roelandts - are not recognising the finale. They got to Milan last Tuesday and will stay there. I thought it was pretty unprofessional even though the route of Milan-Sanremo is not really tricky, always straight ahead but still given the conditions of the roads and especially for the newcomers (Tiesj Benoot & Tim Wellens). It don't really seem wise to me.

What a brilliat race that was. Sagan for me is truly the best cyclist since Hinault hung up his toe clips. Yes I know Kwia won and congratulations to him but riders like Sagan come along once in a blue moon. Probably one of his best rides and he didn't even win!